Although often considered a splurge, subscription boxes can be quite the little life-savers. Say you always forget to buy razor blades until it’s too late (read: you’ve got serious razor burn)? There’s a subscription box for that. Never remember to eat breakfast in morning and feel totally drained by noon? There’s a subscription box for that. Or maybe you never have anything fun (cough, cough, educational) to do with your kids on a rainy day. Yep, there’s even a box for that. While you can’t possibly sign-up for them all, we’ve rounded up the top-rated options to help you make the best choice.
Is It More Than You Need? A box isn’t a good value if it’s going to tempt you into buying more of any one item than you would normally want. Even if the cost per item is good, it’s likely to be more than you’d spend buying just one item each month. Plus, you’ll be cluttering up your house with more socks, cat toys, or bottles of nail polish than you can use.

3. Papergang: Papergang by Ohh Deer is the ultimate subscription box service for stationery lovers. Every month the subscribers receive a beautifully crafted box filled with snazzy paper goodies like desk pads, notebooks, sticker sheets, art prints and other stationary treats like pens, pencils and washi tape. All the items are thoughtfully curated based on a monthly theme. Each selection is exclusive and created in collaboration with different artists. Their wide selection of products and the remarkable illustrations on each of them is what makes Papergang stand out. In addition, they plant a tree for every four boxes sold. So a big YAY for the environment too! You can also buy other cool stuff like art prints, planners, candles, jewelry and fun socks from Ohh Deer's website.

jess__meyers_We love when the mail man brings us our kiwi crate. This month we created a lemonade stand. With a working cash register we put together, a chalkboard sign to decorate and we made a lemon shaped eraser! This is by far our favorite one. The quality of the items are great. Worth every penny. If you haven't gotten your little signed up go do it now. I'm pretty sure I have just as much fun as jax does. #kiwicrate #welovekiwicrate #lemonadestand #bankofkiwi
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Why We Love It: High quality beauty products are expensive and a gamble. Birchbox sends out samples for men and women based off your beauty profile and allows you to rate them so they can further customize your next order. You get to try out high end products to see what works best for you for next to nothing, and if you find something you like then you can purchase the full size version directly from their website. Also BirchBox were also one of the OG’s of monthly subscription boxes.

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How Much Control Do You Have? Some subscription services send the same monthly box to every subscriber. Others, such as Stitch Fix, tailor the contents to your personal tastes based on a questionnaire you fill out when you sign up. A few, such as Julep, allow you to preview each month’s box before it’s shipped and skip that month if you don’t want it, or even personally choose some or all of the items you receive. This means you’ll never have to waste money on an item you don’t want – but on the downside, your monthly box won’t be a special surprise.
Unclear Value. Normally, when you shop for any product, you can look at all the choices and compare their prices to see which is the best deal. But with a subscription box service, you get a different assortment of products every month, and you don’t even know what they’re going to be. That makes it much harder to figure out whether your box is really worth what you’re paying for it.
chocolatephotographerIf you want to buy holiday gifts from small businesses this year, consider getting someone a luxury chocolate subscription box from @chococurb. Their products are the bomb! #christmasgift #giftideas #chocolate #chococurb #chocolatesubscription #luxurychocolate #craftchocolate #holidaygifts #products #food #foodphotography #productphotography #sweets
Dollar Shave Club. Subscription grooming boxes aren’t just for women. The Dollar Shave Club is a monthly service that delivers high-quality razor cartridges for both men and women. Choices range from a two-blade razor for $3 per month to a six-blade model for $9. If you don’t like the blade you’re using, you can switch membership levels at any time. When you first join, you get a handle to go with your cartridge of choice and a selection of sample-sized grooming products, such as “shave butter”; if you like them, you can add on a full-sized version to your monthly delivery.
3. Papergang: Papergang by Ohh Deer is the ultimate subscription box service for stationery lovers. Every month the subscribers receive a beautifully crafted box filled with snazzy paper goodies like desk pads, notebooks, sticker sheets, art prints and other stationary treats like pens, pencils and washi tape. All the items are thoughtfully curated based on a monthly theme. Each selection is exclusive and created in collaboration with different artists. Their wide selection of products and the remarkable illustrations on each of them is what makes Papergang stand out. In addition, they plant a tree for every four boxes sold. So a big YAY for the environment too! You can also buy other cool stuff like art prints, planners, candles, jewelry and fun socks from Ohh Deer's website.
Why We Love It: Trunk club is basically like having a personal stylist, but at a fraction of the cost. Their men’s and women’s style quiz is super thorough to ensure that each “trunk” is filled with clothing you’ll love. What’s even better is that you can approve its contents before it’s shipped to your door. Once you try everything on, you choose what to keep (and pay for) and send back the rest at no cost. You can do this on a monthly basis, or whenever you feel like you need to spruce up your wardrobe.

5. PawPost: PawPost is the purrfect subscription box service for your four-legged companion. You can choose from three box options: the Cat Box, Dog Box and the Dog Treat Box. Each box contains a carefully curated selection of eco-friendly toys, natural, grain free food and treats and hygiene products. The Dog Treat Box features only edible goodies that are delectable, nutritious and organic. All the products are sourced from brands (like Beautiful Joe’s, Mutts & Hounds and Freak MEOWt) that support animal welfare. Plus, they also do special, festive-themed boxes that include lots of holiday-inspired merch for Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas (now isn't that pawsome?)

10. Runner Crate: Runner Crate is perfect for people who want to get or stay fit and try new things at the same time. Every month the subscribers receive cool running gear, 4 to 6 healthy snacks (like veggie chips, granola and organic snack bars) and a couple of other runner goods. The boxes also include monthly running challenges to motivate you to crush your fitness goals.

jess__meyers_We love when the mail man brings us our kiwi crate. This month we created a lemonade stand. With a working cash register we put together, a chalkboard sign to decorate and we made a lemon shaped eraser! This is by far our favorite one. The quality of the items are great. Worth every penny. If you haven't gotten your little signed up go do it now. I'm pretty sure I have just as much fun as jax does. #kiwicrate #welovekiwicrate #lemonadestand #bankofkiwi
Speaking of kids, you can also get subscription boxes with educational toys or projects for children. KiwiCo includes a monthly magazine and an age-appropriate creative project, along with the materials needed to complete it. There are subscriptions for all age groups, from toddlers to teens, and you can choose between art-themed or science-themed boxes for older kids. All boxes are $19.95 per month, with a discount if you commit to a 6-month or 12-month subscription.
These days, subscription boxes can do more than groom you – they can dress you from head to toe. The best-known clothing subscription is Stitch Fix. This shopping service is a bit different from other subscription boxes. For $20 a month, you get a box with five items – clothing, shoes, and accessories – chosen just for you based on your style preferences. However, if you want to keep the items, you have to pay for those separately.
Why We Love It: High quality beauty products are expensive and a gamble. Birchbox sends out samples for men and women based off your beauty profile and allows you to rate them so they can further customize your next order. You get to try out high end products to see what works best for you for next to nothing, and if you find something you like then you can purchase the full size version directly from their website. Also BirchBox were also one of the OG’s of monthly subscription boxes.
Difficulty of Quitting. In theory, you can cancel a subscription box at any time. However, it’s not always easy to do. McCall says the hassle of canceling is often enough to make people hold on to a service, even after they’ve lost interest in it. He compares it to a gym membership you’re no longer using: As long as the fee is low enough to make it seem like a good deal, it won’t seem worthwhile to cancel the service.
Convenience. Having items delivered automatically each month can save shopping time. For example, LearnVest quotes a subscriber named Lindsay Karr, who’s a teacher and also the mother of a six-month-old baby. She uses the Subscribe & Save service from Amazon to get baby food, toilet paper, and other home goods on a monthly schedule. That way, she doesn’t have to take time out of her busy schedule for “running around town from store to store.”
Stitch Fix offers boxes for men and women from both well-known and new brands like Joie, Citizens for Humanity, Original Penguin, and Converse. Items cost an average of $55 each, and the $20 “styling fee” is deducted from the cost. If you choose to keep all five items, you get a 25% discount on the lot. If not, you can send back the ones you don’t want in a prepaid envelope.
free_dominionThe #bespokepost black box. Not too exciting. A slim wallet I was excited about until I saw it was made of cheap leather and what looks like carpet pad. A terribly dull pocket square. Hot sauce, a key loop, a $10 coupon only good if you spend over $75 ($10 gift card would be much better. I could give that to a friend, drumming up more customers). I do like the tea tree products. I already use tea tree hair and skin moisturizer, and these little bottles of shampoo and conditioner are just the right size to drop in my Norton leather dopp bag for traveling. Overall, very meh.
Frank And Oak Style Plan is a personal stylist service for men and women, exclusively for Frank And Oak products. You can choose to have Frank And Oak send you 3 items every month or every other month. Items are selected according to your size, taste, and budget preferences– and you can login 2 days before your box ships each month to add or remove items, or skip the month entirely. When your box ships, you’re billed in full for the members-only discounted price of the items in your box; up to 25% off their retail prices. If you decide not to keep any of the items, Frank And Oak will issue a refund minus the $25 styling fee for your order.